London Olympic Timetable - First Weekend

While the capital's track and field hopefuls quietly build up to their first events next Friday, our rowers dive into action straight away, though by the time they get going at 7:50am (all times BST) boxer James DeGale could already be packing his bags. The Commonwealth Games bronze medallist and recent silver medallist at European Union level, known as "Chunky" to anybody who'd be comfortable sparring with him, faces 2007 African Champion Mohamed Hikal of Egypt, with the Middleweight bout starting anywhere between 6:30 and 8am. The Hammersmith born fighter should be confident, though, as he won bronze at the warm up event in Beijing last year and earlier this year beat the current Olympic Welterweight champion.

The first rower up for London is Alan Campbell from Chiswick's Tideway Scullers' School, hoping to advance to the next round of the heavily subscribed singles event. London born Louise Reeve is next in the women's pairs heats between 8:50 and 9:10 and then there's a break for a quick coffee before 2004 bronze medallist Elise Laverick from Putney in the women's double sculls at 9:40. Shortly after Athens Elise was the victim of a hit and run accident while cycling on the Charing Cross Road from which, thankfully, she soon made a full recovery. The West London sculls pairing of Stephen Rowbotham and Matthew Wells begin their much fancied quest for a medal between 10 and 10:30 while the Chiswick duo Peter Reed and Andy Triggs-Hodge round off the day trying to step into the shoes of Pinsent and Redgrave in the four between 10:30 and 11am.

Sunday morning finds us in Beijing's controversial streets waiting for the 7am start of London born Cambridge University PhD student Emma Pooley in the women's road race which should last just over three hours and will be a first major test of the smog issue. The rowing's off again fifty minutes later with Hester Goodsell in the women's double sculls and then Waterman & Lighterman Mark Hunter, a Freeman of the Thames, in the men's event. Between 9 and 9:30 reigning world champions James Clarke and James Lindsay-Finn take centre stage in the men's lightweight four before a women's eight crew which features no fewer than seven Londoners takes over between 10:20 and 10:40. Just after that the men's eight, containing a mere two of our boys (quadruple Cambridge blue Tom Stallard and army officer Alastair Heathcote who used to train on an erg machine specially flown out to Basra), bring events to a conclusion.

Meanwhile, Wandsworth resident Andy Murray will hope at some time during Sunday to overcome Yen-Hsun Lu of Taiwan/Chinese Taipei (world ranked 72) who may be more used to the prevailing conditions. Assuming Murray does get through he would be likely to face Rafael Nadal in the quarter-finals and then world number three Novak Djokovic if he gets past him, so perhaps we ought to focus most of our hopes on his doubles partnership with brother Jamie.

Stretching into the afternoon, the last ladies hockey match of the day in Pool A pairs our women's team, captained by recent Londonist interviewee Kate Walsh and fielding several London based players, with Germany for an excellent final Olympic treat of the day between 2 and 3:30pm.